Salesforce has unveiled plans to establish a regional headquarters in Riyadh as part of its $500 million, five-year initiative aimed at boosting AI adoption in Saudi Arabia. The company plans to hire up to 40 employees by 2025, strengthening its commitment to local AI and digital growth.
Ibrahim Alseghayr, previously with SAP SE, has been appointed as the regional vice president and managing director for Saudi Arabia. The investment will focus on hiring local talent, launching training programs, and supporting various initiatives to foster AI innovation.
Salesforce’s expansion aligns with Saudi Arabia’s broader digital transformation strategy, which includes a $100 billion AI project. The Kingdom is positioning itself as a global AI leader, with over $14.9 billion in AI investments highlighted at the LEAP 2025 conference. This follows earlier strategic moves like the $1.5 billion commitment to AI chip startup Groq, further accelerating the country’s digital ecosystem.
The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has laid out an ambitious National Strategy for Data and AI, aiming to place the Kingdom among the top global AI nations by 2030. According to forecasts, AI could contribute between $135-235 billion to Saudi Arabia’s GDP by 2030, accounting for up to 12.4% of its economy.
Salesforce’s decision marks a shift in how global tech companies engage with Saudi Arabia, following a period of uncertainty in the tech sector after the Jamal Khashoggi controversy in 2018. The move also demonstrates Salesforce’s commitment to contributing to Saudi Arabia’s AI-powered future.
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